


Comfort of strangers

by BoysWillBePups



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, M/M, Theo Raeken Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:47:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29282469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BoysWillBePups/pseuds/BoysWillBePups
Summary: “This sucks,” Theo sighs, his voice is airy like it hadn’t been before. Black spots enter his field of vision every few seconds, and it feels like he’s on a boat in rough waters.“What does, Theo?” Liam asks, rubbing his thumb over Theo’s hand.“I’m gonna die here,” Theo laughs, restarting the painful cycle of mania and blood. “I’m gonna die here in the grass of the preserve and I didn’t even get to try.”Or,Theo is certain that he has deserved every hardship that he has had to endure: the isolation, the torture, homelessness, and hell.All of it.And in his dying moments he professes it all, hysterical and bleeding out. Except he doesn't die, and now he has to deal with the consequences of being loved.
Relationships: Corey Bryant & Theo Raeken, Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken, Theo Raeken & Brett Talbot
Comments: 11
Kudos: 98





	1. Chapter 1

“Fuck,” Theo rasps, coughing up more blood onto the front of his sweatshirt. His legs are starting to feel heavy, and his brain is starting to swim. The fact that he’s seeing two of everything is probably not great, and it’s safe to say that he has a concussion to go along with the gunshot wounds and several broken bones. His truck is here somewhere, he knows it is, it’s how he got here, but he can’t orient himself for long enough to know where he is. 

There’s still the sounds of fighting behind him, but he _does know_ that he had managed to take down most of the hunters that were still standing. There should only be three or four left, and surely Liam, Corey, Mason, Isaac, Brett, and Derek could take on four hunters. Theo is pretty sure that Derek alone could get the rest of them.

He’s bleeding out and he knows it, the wolfsbane has slowed his healing enough that the bones are still broken, and the fact that the bullet holes are still bleeding is not a great sign. There’s one dangerously close to his neck, just beneath his right collarbone, and the one near his heart doesn’t seem too great, either.

He’s going to die, he’s certain, but it’s okay. He accepted his own death years ago. He had always expected it to be at the hands of the doctors, dying as their loyal servant, but his second guess probably would have had something to do with Scott’s pack. Technically, this would fall under the latter, though not at the hands of anyone in the pack. If he could just find his truck and peacefully breathe his last breath, he wouldn’t complain. In fact, he would be grateful. Liam’s scent would still be there from the drive over to the preserve, and he could die surrounded by the scent of the one person who managed to worm their way into his cold, nearly dead heart. 

The universe, of course, doesn’t need him to die happy. Nobody owes it to him, not some cosmic being or a fleck of space dust; Theo doesn’t deserve peace in his last moments. He falls in the grass, unable to think long enough to get back up.

At least there are stars, he supposes, that would be an okay thing to look at while he died. He laughs a little hysterically, completely out of it, the mirth causing him to choke on the blood still forcing itself up his throat. His view is disturbed, and he groans, trying to indicate for them to move but too weak for him to even move his hands.

“Oh God.” The person kneels down, Theo can just barely decipher the scent as Corey’s. Corey has knelt down by the time Theo is reopening his eyes, not even remembering when he had closed them. He takes Theo’s head in his lap, and the scent of worry would be suffocating if Theo weren’t convinced that it was all a trick, like Corey was somehow mimicking the scent of concern.

“Why God? ‘N not Xenu?” Theo slurs, his eyes rolling.

“What?” Corey asks, desperate.

Mason sighs from somewhere close to them, his voice barely above a whisper. “Scientology.”

It’s now that Theo realizes that the sound of gunshots have stopped. The preserve is quiet like it’s meant to be, returning to the peace of nature instead of the turmoil of war.

“Theo, can you heal? Can you try? Please?” Corey sounds like he’s panicking, but Theo doesn’t really know why. It doesn’t even hurt anymore, that should be a good sign, right?

Theo shakes his head, laughing and then choking again.

“Holy fuck. Oh my god. Theo?” That’s Liam. Theo doesn’t even need to look over at him to know. He would know that voice anywhere, in any life he could be granted. That voice is practically the soundtrack to his soul.

Derek, Brett, and Liam run towards Them, Liam practically throwing himself onto the forest floor next to him. 

“Oh fuck. _Shit._ Please be okay. Please. Please, Theo,” Liam’s saying his name, but it doesn’t sound like he’s talking to him. Reasoning would be a more accurate description, but Theo can’t figure out who it’s aimed at.

“We’ll need to burn it out. Right now, or he won’t make it to the hospital. Mason, call Argent and tell him to get here _now_. Isaac, give me your lighter,” Derek’s voice is commanding, but still calm. 

Theo uses all of the energy that he can muster to make a dismissive gesture with his hands. “‘S fine. I’ll jus’ go back to her. Been there done that.”

Liam shuffles when Derek instructs him too, him and Corey practically taking up the exact same space. Corey still has Theo’s head in his lap, and the hand that’s on the side of Theo’s face is trembling. Theo’s hand is suddenly very warm, and he almost thinks that he’s finally about to bleed dry until he sees Liam cradling both of their hands in his lap. 

“Go back to who?” Liam’s voice is as shaky as Corey’s hands, and it must be all the hysteria that causes Theo to imagine tears for a moment.

“Tara,” Theo laughs. He takes his unoccupied hand and holds it to his heart like an instinct, but feels someone toss it to the side. 

Derek’s face is suddenly in his view, “Theo, this is going to hurt like a bitch.”

“Can’t hurt more than life has so far.” 

Derek's brow furrows briefly, eyes going soft, before he brings the lighter to the bullet hole on Theo’s thigh. He thought the two chest wounds were the only ones, but the singeing pain radiating from his right leg proves him wrong. He doesn’t scream, barely even flinches. The flame isn’t any worse than what the doctors had done, and they needed silence to perfect their procedures. 

Liam leans in closer, and tears freely drip from his cheeks onto Theo’s forehead. “Do you feel that?” There’s something tight in his voice, almost anticipatory.

Theo nods, and when Liam breathes out a relieved sigh, he can’t help but smile, glad that he could tell Liam what he wanted to hear, even if it was just this last time.

“This sucks,” Theo sighs, his voice is airy like it hadn’t been before. Black spots enter his field of vision every few seconds, and it feels like he’s on a boat in rough waters.

“What does, Theo?” Liam asks, rubbing his thumb over Theo’s hand.

“I’m gonna die here,” Theo laughs, restarting the painful cycle of mania and blood. “I’m gonna die here in the grass of the preserve and I didn’t even get to try.”

“What do you mean?”

Theo catches Liam’s eyes as Derek goes to torch the bullet wound closest to his heart. Theo feels mesmerized, like he can’t look away. 

“I would’ve done anything for you,” Theo slurs, “I should have done anything for you. I would devote my life to being your doormat and never expect anything in return. _I wouldn’t deserve it._ But you deserve all of everything, I think.”

Liam’s tears are coming down faster now, much more frequent, and Theo can almost recognize the light squeeze of his hand. “You wouldn’t have to do that.”

“No, but I wanted to, and now I can’t.” Theo finally looks away from Liam, his head dizzying the direction that he is aiming for. Eventually, he manages to look straight up at Corey, and then Brett who is now kneeling next to him. “I think that there’s a lot of things I should have done for a lot of people. But I can’t now, and that really blows.” 

Brett laughs, but Theo can see the mist in his eyes. Did he ruin things again? Has he made them sad in the last moments of his life, when he’s trying to tell them how sorry he is? “You took a bullet for me, asshole.”

Corey laughs too, but he won’t look at Theo. Or Brett, for that matter. “You took one for me, too. You shouldn’t have been so irresponsible, but I’ll save any lectures until later.”

“I had to,” Theo’s eyes glaze over, and someone’s heartbeat spikes. He’s not sure whose it was. “You matter. When I die, everything will be back to normal in a few days, if you died it would fuck up the whole pack.” Theo stated it all simply, as if it were common knowledge.

He can just barely feel Liam’s grip tighten, _a lot _, and when he looks up, Liam’s eyes are gold.__

__“Hey, calm down,” Theo soothes despite the burning pain of the lighter infiltrating his last bullet wound. “None of you were obligated to care, it’s okay that you don’t.”_ _

The dark spots are getting bigger, more frequent, but Theo can still see Liam’s eyes when they go back to blue. He still has enough sense to take in their beauty like they’re the last thing that he’ll ever see. _Hopefully they will be_ , he thinks. 

__“You think I don’t care?” Liam’s voice is small, the smallest Theo has ever heard it, and he desperately wishes he could undo whatever he had done to cause it._ _

__He tries to smile despite the fact that it’s becoming harder to breathe by the second, hoping that maybe Liam will do it too. He doesn’t, so he tries to think of something funny to say instead. With the blood pounding in his ears, it’s difficult for any knock-knock jokes to come to mind. “Anybody have anything they want me to tell my sister? I haven’t seen her in a year, I’ll have a lot to catch her up on.”_ _

__There’s no laughter, just sharp inhales and the swelling scent of salt. Theo looks back into Liam’s eyes. His expression is still sad, even mournful, and if Theo had the strength, he would do anything to make him smile. _Just one more time.__ _

__The black spots have grown constant, and now they are much bigger. “To be, or not to be? That is the question,” Theo snorts, “for in that sleep of death what dreams may come.”_ _

__The last thing that Theo sees, before the black spots and the dizzying seasickness take over, is the blue in Liam’s eyes, highlighted by a new round of tears._ _


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One moment is darkness, the next is light.

Waking up is sudden but not startling, one moment is darkness, and the next he is fully alert, not even woken with a jump like most nights. Completely motionless, no change in his heartbeat or chemosignals, Theo opens his eyes, faced with the harsh light of the hospital room and the smell of clinical chemicals. Not much different than the scent of the sewers in the first few years, but still unpleasant.

Brett is sitting stiffly in a chair next to the door, no sense of comfortability despite the fact that his eyes are closed, and judging by his heartbeat he’s fast asleep, upright. Theo sweeps the rest of the room before he notices Derek at his side, looking similarly uncomfortable. Derek has a single eyebrow raised when Theo finally spots him, and it’s then that Theo finally realizes that he is in fact still alive, and his eventual reunion with Tara will have to wait. 

Theo’s heartbeat spikes instantaneously, the heart monitor loudly beeping along. Theo tugs the monitor off, and then the IV, and then he sees _red_.

“Fuck!” He yells, eyes going yellow. He lets his claws extend, he can’t bother to care for his control right now. He brings his hands up to his head and _squeezes_ , blood runs from the newly formed scratches on his scalp, staining the white bed sheet that covers his legs. “Fuck!” It’s even louder the second time, and the way that he digs the heel of his palm into his eyes almost makes Derek worry for Theo’s eyesight.

Of course. Of fucking course. Theo makes the hardest confession he has ever made in his life and of course he wakes up. Of course he doesn’t die. Because the universe hates making things easy for him.

Derek is sitting back, never particularly one for calming gestures, and gapes as Theo loses his shit. Brett has woken up now, eyes wide and the stark scent of confusion floating through the room.

Theo reaches out and topples the bedside table, the sound of metal hitting the floor resonates within the room, and a mixture of water and jello coats the spot on the floor where the tray dropped. Next is the sheet that covers him, suddenly feeling like a restraint, and he pushes it off with more force than necessary. They fall onto the floor, and Theo looks around, nearly feral, for anything else.

He sees something appear to his right and looks over, eyes still yellow and rage still coursing through his veins like gasoline, to see that Derek is offering him his phone. Theo takes it and tosses it as hard as he can, the sound of glass smashing into millions of teeny pieces sounding as beautiful as Beethoven’s final symphony.

Hospital rooms are not known for their abundance, so Theo is left with nothing else to take out his anger on once he has toppled the IV pole and shredded the bed’s pillows. The anger is slowly fading into a bitter brew of anxiety and nausea, and he goes back to holding his head, relishing in the blood that drips down his face.

A few minutes pass, claws turn blunt and the spicy cinnamon scent of anger fades, but Theo’s hands remain. He doesn’t notice that he’s started rocking back and forth— self-soothing, the doctors had once told him— until he feels someone’s arms around him, holding him tight. 

He fights it, moving his hands down so he can try to squirm away from the hold, or maybe even punch his way out, but Brett just squeezes harder and harder. He squeezes until Theo stops fighting and goes limp, and he continues to squeeze even when the middle of his sweater starts to soak through. Brett rocks them, but this time it isn’t Theo’s act of self-soothing, _it doesn’t feel as wrong_. Theo is on the verge of sobbing, the scent of salt clouding the room like humidity, but he lets himself be held. _He hasn’t been held in years._

Brett and Theo aren’t ones for sentiment— neither is Derek, who feels a little out of his depth in the sudden emotion of the room— but Brett whispers, as quiet and as gentle as possible, “I’m so fucking glad that you’re alive, dude.”

Theo visibly trembles, and the tears flow more frequently before Theo is finally forcing himself to sober up. He breathes a shaky breath and pulls away, unable to look at Brett and Derek. “Thanks.”

Brett laughs, and Theo dares to look up at him. He’s grinning, but his wet eyelashes show that he had been crying too. “Shut up dude,” he laughs again before pulling Theo into a less tight, equally warm hug.

They stay like that for a few breaths. Brett knows that Theo needs the proximity, he needs the feelings. Brett, having learned from his parents at a young age to control his chemosignals, lets them go. Nothing has ever gotten through to Theo more than actions have, and the way that Theo recoils minutely indicated that he could smell them. It’s only a few moments until the room is awash with a new round of earthy scents: sadness, fear, anguish, and finally acceptance. 

Derek clears his throat and Brett finally lets Theo go, keeping a grounding hand on his best friend’s knee. Theo looks down at his hands, his chemosignals suddenly a little less harsh, the slight tinge on his cheek confirming what Brett had thought. 

Brett looks up at Derek, and he’s already looking back, smiling in a way that, _had it been anybody else in the world_ , would be considered fond. It almost makes Brett smile too, the idea that _Derek_ of all people could show anything other than indifference or nonchalance towards Theo.

“Congrats on not dying,” Derek deadpans. 

Theo looks up, wide-eyed and still red, unsure if he just heard what he thinks he heard.

Brett laughs, only laughing harder when Theo’s face absolutely flames, throwing his head back. Derek’s eyebrow is raised, but he knows exactly what he just did. That was the closest that Derek could come, _being all emotionally stunted and all,_ to saying that he was also glad that Theo was still alive. 

“Thanks,” Theo finally stutters out, going back to playing with the string on his sweatpants.

“I told Melissa that you’d kill me if I let her put you in a gown,” Brett laughs.

“Damn right,” Theo quips back, his characteristic smirk showing its first appearance since he woke up, though barely there.

Cutting straight to the chase, Derek clears his throat to grab Brett and Theo’s attention. “Liam was here almost the entire time you were out. Corey too. And,” Derek leaves it hanging, but the way that Brett starts to scratch the back of his neck indicates what was left unsaid.

Theo’s heart starts to pick up its pace until even Derek is looking worried, ever so slightly. 

“Liam was here?” A crease appears between Theo’s eyebrows, eyebrows furrowing. “How long was I out?”

“Three days,” Brett’s voice cracks at the end.

“You were legally dead for ten minutes, at one point,” Derek adds, less somber than Brett.

“Oh.”

“Dr. Geyer forced Liam to go home, and Mason had come to take Corey home. That was a few hours ago.” Derek continues.

“Oh.”

“Is that all you’re gonna say?” Brett is smirking, but Theo can detect the undercurrents of uncertainty.

Theo looks back at Brett, eyebrows furrowed.

“Jesus Christ, Theo. You didn’t even call out for anyone. What were you thinking?”

“Uh,”

“Fuck.” Brett stands up, making his way to the door, “I need to get some air.”

Theo gapes at the door, heart thumping. He wants to yell _i couldn’t have_ or even _I was going to_ , but lying to Brett would just make it so much worse. He _wasn’t_ going to call out to them. He was planning on bleeding out in the grass while he watched the stars, because even the sound of the limited members of Scott’s pack killing a random group of hunters was more peaceful than what would be on the other side, _an empty hospital save for his sister, silent except for the sound of his pleas_. 

He didn’t want to die. _Not really_ , but he knew he deserved it. He wouldn’t risk putting others in danger just so he could live, not when there were still so many hunters left standing. He had always heard stories about people who have had near-death experiences having a sense of serenity pass over them right before everything faded to black. He always thought they were just hyperbolizing, trying to make the people around them more comfortable with the thought of dying, but he had felt it. Right before his lights went out he was at peace knowing that this is what he deserved. An eternal life with his sister was exactly what he had always set himself up.

“You were being stupid,” Derek says, states it like it’s a fact.

“I wasn’t,” Theo starts, looking towards him. “I couldn’t. I couldn’t have called for anyone.”

“You could have.” Derek’s usual wry expression is back, unimpressed. “You just chose not to. You even managed to walk away from us before you collapsed. Where were you even going to go?”

“My truck,” Theo replies, defensive.

“And do what?”

Theo's eyes widen ever so slightly, for just a mere moment, but Derek catches it. He knows exactly what Theo’s plan was, no need for a confirmation. 

“Like I said, _stupid_.” Derek sighs, leaning back in the chair. His expression is more open when he looks at Theo, but he still seems unimpressed. “But I know why you were going there.”

“You do?” Theo asks, sarcastic and humourless.

“Smells like home.” Theo feels like he’s been punched in the gut, goes back to masking his chemosignals and clamping down on his heartbeat, a delicate facade falling into place as his expression develops into neutrality. “And pack,” Derek finishes as if Theo isn’t suddenly feeling like an opponent in a boxing ring.

“I don’t have a pack,” Theo responds in a way that is far too nonchalant to be natural. 

“You do,” Derek nods, “you’ve had a pack for a while now, but your wolf only recognizes a single person because you’re too stubborn to let it loose.”

“I’m an omega, Derek. That’s not something that I’m ashamed of.”

“But you should be,” Derek’s voice is firmer, though his face is still neutral. “Not all omegas are omegas because they have to be. Some of them close people out on their own accord. I used to do the same, but the difference is that I was self-aware enough to be ashamed.”

“Fuck off.”

“No, Theo. I won’t fuck off. Can you stop being a fucking wet blanket for once and look around?” Derek sounds exasperated, all Theo would have to do it push _just a little more_ and Derek would leave him alone. Maybe he’d realize that Theo really _is_ meant to be an omega. 

“Whatever,” Derek stops the gears in Theo’s head from turning any further. “You’re not living in your truck anymore. You’re eighteen, I don’t know what you were thinking in the first place.” He stands up and walks towards the door, reaching for the door handle. “Try to pull your head out of your ass in the next 60 seconds, or else it’s your funeral.”

Derek leaves, the door slamming behind him. Theo assumes that Brett’s on his way back in before he catches a whiff of other smells. The overpowering scent of Brett’s Old Spice body wash is definitely there, but there’s also the smell of cinnamon and chocolate, and tea and old books. And then, _of course,_ the distinct smell of _human_ , which must be Mason based on the other scents. Or maybe Nolan, but that would be far less likely.

Theo tries to shuffle off the bed, maybe he thinks that he could run, or maybe sitting in a hospital bed in the middle of a trashed room makes him feel so vulnerable that it itches under his skin, but he takes one step off the bed, legs wobbly and jello-like, and nearly hits the deck before a steadying hand reaches out for him.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Liam asks, voice soft as he uses his strength to hoist Theo onto the bed. He barely used any force at all, almost like lifting Theo was easy, and that makes something red hot start to bubble in the pit of Theo’s stomach.

When Theo is back on the bed, legs dangling, toes just barely touching the floor, Liam backs up, as if he’s taking him in. Theo can smell anger, he can see the brief flash in Liam’s eyes, but someone behind Theo forces Liam to calm down, and quickly, at that.

“I think that you are the dumbest person alive. And I’m glad that I can still say that,” Liam says through gritted teeth. _Just teeth, not fangs_.

“Hmm, who died and gave me that title?” Theo jokes, voice strained.

Liam’s eyes go yellow again, and this time the obvious movement from behind Theo doesn’t calm him down, _doesn’t stop him_. Liam inches closer, blood dripping from his clenched fists.

“Do you think that’s funny? Do you?” Liam seethes, getting in Theo’s face.

Theo can’t meet his eyes anymore, and he looks down at his lap, still sensing Liam’s proximity.

“It’s not,” Liam’s voice cracks, and Theo’s head snaps up. His eyes are blue again, fingernail-shaped cuts quickly healing on his palms. His eyes swim with fresh tears, and the threat is there for only a second before a few silent tears make tracks down Liam’s pink cheeks. “It’s not fucking funny that you almost died. Not even a little bit.”

Theo isn’t sure what compels him to do it, but he reaches out as much as he can while still on the bed and pulls Liam in, one hand wrapped around his back and the other softly holding the back of his head, giving him a hug that is strong, but not suffocating. Liam’s tears start to wet Theo’s hoodie, a large wet spot forming right at the crook of Theo’s neck, but Theo couldn’t even care, not one bit. Maybe the truck wasn’t the home that Derek had been referring to, because Theo had known that his truck would still smell like Liam. _He had known_.

“Please don’t ever do that again,” Liam whimpers into Theo’s shoulder, muffled by the fabric. 

“I’ll try,” Theo replies, honest.

Liam pulls away, not much, but just enough to look Theo in the eyes. He looks like he’s scanning, analyzing Theo’s expression, and once he’s finally satisfied he leans back in. “Please try.” 

Theo is ready to go back to sleep, there’s something about being in Liam’s arms that feels overwhelmingly comforting, something he doesn’t deserve but so desperately yearns for. Mason clears his throat, and it almost echoes throughout the small, silent room, but it prompts Liam to pull away fully, leaving Theo feeling much emptier than he had ten seconds prior.

Theo barely has time to breathe before another warm body is fitting itself into the space that Liam had just occupied. Corey tucks himself underneath Theo’s chin, crushing Theo’s ribs with the force that he’s squeezing. 

Corey doesn’t say anything, just takes shaky breathes and maneuvers so his ear can hover over Theo’s heart, as if to confirm that it truly has remained beating. Corey pulls away just as wordlessly, can’t meet Theo’s gaze with his teary eyes so he just silently walks over to sit next to Mason instead.

Mason smiles at Theo, and it’s unsettling how genuine it feels considering Mason’s continued disdain towards Theo. 

“Thanks for not dying, dumbass.”

Theo lets out a shocked laugh and Brett shoots him a look. “Thanks, I try.”

“No you fucking didn’t,” Brett grumbles, brows knitting together in frustration. 

“Uh, how was school?”

“We didn’t go,” Liam responds, shrugging. 

“We were too tired,” Corey finishes, voice just above a whisper. 

“Oh,” Theo says. “Well, how’d you guys sleep?”

Corey finally looks up, eyes shiny and narrow, “we didn’t.”

“Oh.” Theo looks down, unsure where to go from here. 

“You should have told us you were homeless,” Mason says.

“And why should I have done that?” 

“Because we’re your friends?”

“Friends?” Theo asks, incredulous, “I would never be so generous. I used to be homicidal and you guys kept me on a short leash. _Literally,_ sometimes. I don’t blame you guys for that shit, or sending me to hell, but you guys don’t have to act like I meant any more than that.”

Brett sighs deeply, and Corey looks like Theo just killed a puppy right in front of him. Mason appears to be exhausted, more than anything, and Liam is once again losing control. 

“I think we should go,” Brett starts, “Maybe we can have a conversation that involves some actual common sense once we’ve all slept.” Brett turns to look at Theo, “need anything before we go?”

“No,” Theo shakes his head, “thanks, though.”

“No problem. That’s what _friends_ are for,” Brett raises an eyebrow. “Melissa should be in to check on you soon, and I think that Derek might be coming back. Alec had been here a while too but Derek made him go home.”

“Alright, thanks.” Theo provides a tight smile.

“No problem, dude.” 

Brett gives him a wave goodbye, and Mason and Corey follow suit, waves accompanying them as they leave. Liam lingers for a moment, shifting his weight between his feet, forehead creased from concentration. It’s almost like he’s trying to bring himself to say something, maybe to add more, but like a light switch his face goes back to his worried smile, and he quickly shuffles out with a “bye, Theo”.

Theo watches the door slam shut behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo prepares for his hospital discharge alongside his two best friends and Liam.

“It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s okay,” a voice whispers, a promise, _a prayer._ “You’re okay, Theo. You’re safe.”

He’s shaking like a wet dog, confused more than anything else. Self-awareness does not arrive for a few moments until he finally realizes that his claws are out, and whoever’s chest that he’s against is bleeding onto the white sheets. He reels, claws quickly going dull, and tries to wiggle away, apologies on his tongue.

“It’s alright, doesn’t even hurt anymore.” Theo can feel the vibration of the speech, he relaxes back into the hold, too scared to cry, too shaken to move. His nightmares never did get any better, he had just started sleeping less. It’s unsurprising that the hospital room, wreaking of sanitizer and saline, the dull scent of blood floating down from a supply closet, would amplify the dreams. 

Cinnamon and chocolate cookies sound like a strange mixture of scents, a unique clash of spicy and sweet, but it has always felt right on Liam. If Theo were a cheesier man, he would peg the scent to be that of sunshine and warm evenings, or stargazing and longing gazes, but he is not, so he simply takes the scent as _Liam’s_ , and somehow that encompasses all of it at once. Liam’s head is on Theo’s, soft lips pressed to the crown of his head as Liam continues to comfort him through his terror. They’re both laying down, though the bed is on an angle like most hospital beds usually are, and Theo’s head is on Liam’s chest, held tightly in the younger boy’s arms.

Though he doesn’t shed any tears, having been too far past that point upon waking up, there’s something about him that must indicate to Liam that he’s not as scared, that he’s _better_. Liam loosens his hold just enough to look down at Theo, and despite his previous state Theo’s heart skips in its pace, the heart monitor announcing his sudden nervousness.

Liam smiles, and Theo’s already disbelieving that he’s being held by Liam, he can’t handle the sudden softness provided to him. There’s something sad, though, right behind Liam’s eyes. Theo, having been trained in subtleties and unsaid words before he even hit puberty, is certain that this is pity, Liam is just holding him to aid his own guilt, _there’s nothing else there, no other reason_.

Theo pulls away, taking the sadness as his cue to let Liam go, grant him the out that he’s seeking. Once he’s sitting up, Liam stays exactly where he had been, he doesn’t shift so that their thighs are no longer touching, he doesn’t pull his left hand away from Theo’s right knee.

Brett and Corey sit next to each other by the door, and Theo notices just as the door opens, Melissa entering from the hallway.

“Well good morning,” she greets him with a smile on her face that feels so genuine that it twists Theo up, makes him second guess whether or not he truly survived the events of a week ago. 

Melissa had greeted him with kindness only minutes after the Puppy Pack had left him a few days ago, and she had been sweet to him ever since. She had cried when she asked him about his homelessness, asked him why he hadn’t ever said anything. She said that she had forgiven him, and he _denied, denied, denied,_ but she just repeated it over and over again, like some cruel joke or the most beautiful affirmation in the world. She repeated it until it had edged its way into his mind, crawled like a worm through the logical hemispheres of his brain until it was practically echoing, giving him a headache from the inside. Scott’s pack forgave Deucalion, and Derek, and Ethan, and Aiden, and Peter, and Argent. Hell, Melissa has been engaged to Argent for months. But that doesn’t mean they can forgive Theo, he thinks that doesn’t mean that they _should_.

But he tries to smile back anyways. 

“Hi, Mrs. McCall,” he replies, pretending like he hadn’t been on the brink of losing his mind only five minutes ago.

“Melissa. How many times do I have to tell you to call me Melissa?” She responds, voice tired though her eyes glint with a knowing amusement. She approaches his bed, taking down the railing on the side that she is standing in front of. She motions for Theo to sit up and face her, and he follows, obedient. “Alright, kiddo. If this check-up is good then it might be your last.”

Theo grins, a real grin this time, and nods. “Great, I’m getting sick of the hospital smell.” 

“Mhmm,” Brett hums, somehow one part condescending and one part sympathetic. How a wordless hum could be so expressive is beyond Theo, truthfully. Theo tries to send him a glare, but Melissa is now holding his face still, prompting him to open his mouth so she can look with her flashlight. 

“Looks good, kid. I’m just going to check the wounds and you should be mostly good to go,” Melissa says, motioning for Theo to lift his shirt, “but there’s someone else who has insisted on talking to you before you leave.”

Theo furrows his brows, momentarily obscured as he goes to pull off his hoodie— Liam’s hoodie, more accurately, though he’s not sure how he got it or even when he put it on— but he has no time to question it before Corey is speaking up, voice much louder than usual, probably sensing Theo’s upcoming questions.

“And when you leave, you are _not_ going back to your truck,” Corey says, unwavering.

“Damn right,” Brett agrees, “you’re going to be in an actual house,a _real_ one.”

Theo does actually glare at Brett this time, barely flinching as Melissa softly scans his abdomen with her fingers, her gloved hands cold in contrast to the heat Theo had previously been receiving from Liam. When he looks back at Melissa she is looking at him sternly, almost _motherly_ , and Theo thinks that he may be weaker than he believed if something even remotely parently could make him blank so easily.

“You’ve got lots of options, Theo,” Melissa says, finishing up with checking over Theo’s chest to ensure that his wounds have healed. “In fact, I think that your visitor later will just be one of dozens.”

Melissa had been proactive with her own offer, and Theo had been forced to listen to her pitch yesterday, though he still denied that he even needed a place to go. _My door is always open if you choose to stay with us,_ she had said, voice level though her eyes had been shiny, _You already know that Alec will be begging you to agree, do you need to hear it from me too?_ He didn’t, truthfully he didn’t, but Melissa still poured her heart out, she tried her very best to instill in him the sincerity of her words. Theo still denied it, _my truck’s just fine_ , he had said, shaking his head. Melissa had looked more than disappointed, but Theo couldn’t change anything. Melissa would be delusional to let him into her house, especially after he had successfully killed her son. 

Now, Theo just fakes another smile. Yeah, he can listen to pitch after pitch on why he should stay with Derek, or Melissa, or maybe even the Sheriff, but he won’t accept. He doesn’t need to be pitied, he’s gone this long without being babied. Sympathy thinly veiled by faux affection means nothing.

Brett barely conceals a growl in response to Theo’s expression, almost like he can hear the gears turning in Theo’s head as Theo considers which method would be best to run away. 

“Alright, everything looks good,” Melissa grins, backing up, “you should be able to leave by this evening.” Something in her expression falters, barely noticeable. She walks closer to Theo again, right next to his ear, and drops her voice to a whisper, though the other inhabitants of the room being supernaturals renders it futile. “Try to run away and I might just forget to fill out your discharge papers. Involuntary re-hospitalization _is_ in the cards.”

Theo rolls his eyes, but nods nonetheless, shifting so he can sit with his legs on the bed again. When Melissa leaves, seemingly pleased with her intimidation abilities, the room is suddenly silent, and Theo is pinned by Brett’s intense glare directly across from him.

“If you try to leave, I will kill you,” Brett says, grinding his teeth. “I fucking mean it, Theo.”

Theo laughs, only intensifying Brett’s glare, “fine, oh my god.”

Brett tries to stay angry, but seeing Theo laugh for the first time in over a week definitely breaks his facade, and soon enough he’s laughing along, Corey soon joining in. 

Theo looks to Liam once he’s calmed down, and Liam’s expression is unreadable, a storm brewing behind the icy blue of his eyes. Liam just looks back, as if he’s trying to decipher Theo the same way that Theo’s trying to decipher him. Wordlessly, Liam shifts ever closer, laying his head on Theo’s shoulder and closing his eyes, heart beating at a steady pace, calming to the point where Theo almost wants to go back to sleep himself.

“What time is it?” Theo asks, looking to Corey, “shouldn’t you guys be in school?”

“It’s 1:00,” Corey starts, looking down at his phone. “Jenna and David convinced Mrs. Martin to give us the rest of the week off of school. Mason had a test that he didn’t want to miss out on and Alec, Nolan, and Lori had some trivia club thing that they were excited for.”

“Fuck,” Theo sighs, looking down at his hands, “Alec wanted me to be there to watch.”

“I think Alec will understand if you miss a single academic decathlon thing. You know, considering you’re in a hospital bed and all,” Brett deadpans, giving Theo a wry look.

“Still,” Theo says, eyes giving away too much when he looks back up.

Brett chuckles, “dude, you’re a real dumbass.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“I just don’t understand how you can be so smart and so dense all at once.” Brett laughs harder, looking at Theo and then Corey, “I mean, you really think that none of us give a shit. You actually believe that we don’t consider you Pack.”

Theo looks down at his lap, trying not to shift and jostle Liam. He looks back up, this time at Corey, eyes pleading.

Corey sighs, eyes flickering with amusement. “I mean, he’s right. We follow you around like you’re the leader of the preschool safety rope.”

Theo glares, feeling the contrast of heat as it rises to the tips of his ears. “That’s not true.”

“Dude, it totally is,” Brett argues, “as embarrassing as it is to admit, the three of us are practically attached at the hip, and when you’re not with us, you’re with Liam, and when you’re not with us _or_ Liam, you’re with the entire Puppy Pack.”

“I mean, I guess,” Theo gives a one-shouldered shrug.

“Not ‘you guess’, it’s just true,” Corey nods, seemingly pleased with himself.

“It is,” Theo feels a sudden gust of breath on his collarbone, and when he looks down and sees Liam, eyes barely open while he looks at Theo through his eyelashes, Theo’s brain completely short circuits.

“Yeah,” Theo replies, “I guess it is.”

Liam smiles with one side of his mouth before shutting his eyes again, squirming a little closer so that he can curl up, get more comfortable. Brett’s expression is far too mischievous when Theo has finished gaping at Liam, and Theo is suddenly aware of how frequent the beeps of the heart monitor have grown.

“Whipped,” Brett poorly conceals as a cough.

Theo glares, though it lacks both intent and malice.

There’s a quiet knock on the door before the handle turns, opening to reveal Dr. Geyer, clipboard in hand.

“Oh,” He grins when he has taken in the room, noting the comfortability of his son on Theo’s chest. He looks to the wall next to the door and nods at Brett and Corey before looking back to the bed. “Hmm, I came in to talk to you, Theo, but I think it might be better for me to come back later.”

Theo nods, eyes flicking from Liam to Dr. Geyer. His face had gone hot the moment that he realized who had entered the room, faced with the mortifying reality of the doctor’s son using his chest as a pillow.

Dr. Geyer laughs, raising his hand as if physically waving off Theo’s embarrassment, “I’ll come back once Melissa’s finished up with the discharge paperwork.” 

Theo nods, suddenly stiff and awkward, “alright,” he replies, internally cursing himself as his voice cracks. He used to be so easy, acting was his first language, but this whole post-hell new feelings thing was turning out to be his Achilles heel.

Brett is visibly holding back laughter, face going red as he tries to keep his mouth shut while Dr. Geyer is in the room, and almost as soon as the aforementioned doctor leaves, Brett lets loose, head thrown back as he practically cackles. Corey’s face is just as red, and it’s obvious that he’s holding back, but at least he had the decency to cut Theo some slack.

“I hate you guys,” Theo sighs.

“We won’t fall for that,” Corey quis, smirk on his lips, “I mean, you practically professed your undying love for us five minutes ago.”

Brett snorts, falling into another fit of laughter, and Corey doesn’t bother concealing his amusement.

“No, I really think I do hate both of you,” Theo says with a glare, no heat behind it. There hasn’t been heat behind his glares for a while, if he’s being honest. “I can’t believe I’m friends with Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.”

Brett smiles wide, laughter dying down, and Corey’s eyebrows raise minutely before he smiles just as wide. “Guess you know how to pick ‘em.”

Theo feels a warmth in his chest, like maybe, _just maybe_ , the sun is shining down on him for the first time in nearly ten years. It spreads through his body like a current, and he’s anchored by the additional warmth of Liam’s body, breathing rhythmically, heartbeat slowed as he sleeps. He smiles at Brett and Corey, and it feels genuine, helpless, it feels so natural that he wishes it had always been this easy. “I definitely could have done worse.”


End file.
